scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

For those of you considering coilovers and drops...

After LSin75075 and I did our last adjustment (2 of 3) to the coilovers on Ebony I THOUGHT finally was sure that this was the height she would rest at and it was time to get a four wheel alignment and re-balance tires, etc. I learned quickly that although the car looks good right after the drop, after you drive it, etc. it tends to "settle" after the adjustment and some driving.

LS warned me that you need to adjust a couple of times to get it right but I'd say the pickier you are and the more "obstacles" in your daily road travels like large bumps/waves or RR tracks you may want to err on the conservative side because you can rub (obviously). I wanted no rubs at all, no way. I was a little premature in getting an alignment a few weeks ago and then found out I was rubbing just a little on big waves in the highway, etc and LS and I did one more slight raise to get it perfect with no rub. When you drop the car, the wheels turn inward quite a bit at the top. Keep this in mind. When you raise, they tend to straighten out.

So...off to have the four wheel alignment again. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, NTB has a great system and good prices on lifetime 4 wheel alignments. I'd recommend them! Last alignment the best they could do was two of my wheels were a little higher than others based on measurements and the camber so they weren't perfect. Now that we adjusted the Megans one more time, the camber settings were all perfectly within spec. The toe in and camber were adjusted quite a bit...almost .75 degrees on one wheel. It made a slight difference in a positive way to the vehicles stance, but not a huge deal.

Lastly, I had the tires rotated directionally and re-balanced.

Now Ebony is driving smooth, straight, nice and tight and just right!

Just some tips/advice on those of you pondering coilovers/drops:

1) Be patient...you may need to adjust a few times to get it perfect. Car may rub even though it looks like there is plenty of room.
2) Don't get an alignment till you are triple positive that the height you have it as is where you want it to stay. The alignment will adjust camber/toe in so beware that this may adjust you back up as the wheels straighten out after they adjust. It's a tennis match!
3) Balancing helps...for some reason my car was out of balance even though I just had it balanced before the drop.
4) Have a friend with a state-of-the-art Snap-on-Tool power torque gun and loves cars as much as you do!
5) Coilovers will change the way your car feels! For the better too...sportier, quicker brake and steering responses, cornering, etc.

I think I may be on the lookout for a sway bar next.

scrdstr

Sounds great lets see some pics, how much in inches would you say the car is lowered without rubbing? When I look at my car I'm thinking maybe I could lower it an inch.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

It's lowered appx 1.5-1.75". As said before it's hard to guess...I didn't take original measurements (rats!) before hand, but I should have. Shop that installed said 2" drop to start with, so I originally started at 2" and it was too low, rubbing over quite a few bumps in the front.

LSin75075 has the conversion rate of # of turns versus height inches based on his experience installing several of these sets. I believe it's like 10-12 turns for a 1/2"...maybe he will chime in to give you a more precise guesstimate.

As I said before a lot of coilover install is trial and error. Each car, each set up, each wheel is a little different. Taste and risk level and aesthetics play into it big time as well. LS is def more aggressive than I am.

I have a staggered 20" setup and another CL SC member that does as well even had 1/2 an inch to 3/4" difference in wheel height/diameter, etc just wheels alone.

Hope this helps.

LS-I may take you up on that wrench...after we use it to install our headers and axle back exhaust!